Resources for learning Rails 3 | Hacker News Reader

Resources for learning Rails 3

tutsonrails.blogspot.com

20 pointsrtdp10 comments

I just started learning RoR yesterday. Here is what I've done and what I'm planning to do. It would be great to get some validation.

My background: I took intro to C++ in high school six years ago. I wish there was more to say here...

Anyhow, here's what I've done: -TryRuby.org (This is suppose to be a 15-minute quick run to try Ruby in my browser. It took me a bit longer.)

Here's what I'm doing: -Railsforzombies.org (A longer in-browser interactive tutorial, also free)

Here's what I'm planning to do, in no particular order: -Mess around and try to build my rejected YCSummer2011 idea. -http://www.codeschool.com/courses/rails-best-practices (done by same people at RailforZombies, costs $45)

This is my first post to Hacker News. Howdy from Texas.

It's not compulsion to spend some money and do the course. When i started rails, i was without even computer sciences background. The best way to learn rails is by doing and learning with application development itself. In this regard this may help - http://ruby.railstutorial.org/ruby-on-rails-tutorial-book

Keep in mind, the best way to go with rails is learn the conventions, once you get them you will start loving rails or else thing might frustrate you.

thanks man, good to know someone with a similar background.

What? No mention of Michael Hartl's Ruby on Rails Tutorial? It should be the de facto recommendation for everyone new to Rails.

http://ruby.railstutorial.org/ruby-on-rails-tutorial-book

I'll second this... I just used Hartl's book to jumpstart my Rails knowledge and I found it to be an excellent resource.

Yup, possibly the best tutorial I found.

Part of the reason I recommend it to people is that it includes a very good and gentle introduction to TDD or (if you don't buy agile) unit testing in general.

I'm a few chapter's into Hartl's book now. I really appreciate how it explains most things on a few different levels, i.e. both the concrete and theoretical workings of a piece of code. I don't understand much yet, but instead of frustration (I've had a few programming books whose learning curves have turned vertical), I feel excitement.

If the start of the book is any indicator, it's a great resource.

There is no shortcut to knowledge - do, fail, rinse and repeat, until you understand. Until you have installed, understood and successfully ran a rails app, tutorials are just next to useless. Apply apply and apply some more. Follow this guide and http://guides.rubyonrails.org/getting_started.html, and don't slack.. Understand every line before you move on..

Agile Web Development With Rails simply cannot be oversold. The first editon of this book was pivotal for me - I just didn't know things could be that way. It should be recommended as a general horizon broadening book to any programmer, web or otherwise.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com